Nodulated oil filter



June 4, 1940, H43..y KAMRATH `2,203,495

1 v NODULATED OIL FILTER original Filed May '29,` 193s 2 sheetssneet 1 June 4, 1940 H. G. KAMRATH y 2,203,495

- NODULATED OIL FILTER Original Filed May ,29. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 dumm/14A.

Patented June 4,1940

UNLTED "STATES" PATENT yoFFlcl-:I

f t NoDULA'rED on. mmm

Herbert G. Kamrath, Flint, Mich., assgnor to I `General Motors Corporation, Detroit, `Mich., a y l corporation of Delaware 4 I l i i l9 claims. This invention relates to oil lters, particularly a llterused inthe oiling system of internal combustion engines used on automotive vehicles.

Application May 29, 1936, `Serial No. 82,445 3 Renewed June 8, 1938 The particular novelty of the invention relates Y 5 to the use of neutral nodulated mineral wool or mineral cotton through which the oil must pass to beiiltered. Under the term of mineral wool or mineral cotton areincluded such substances as l rock `Wool and slag wool which comes fromvthe Umanufacturer in a brous orstringy form and has'been found` to` be very satisfactory for use in voil lters. InA conducting experiments withmineral wool `or. mineral cotton to be used in oil filtration,` I found thatif the ordinary stringy rock 6 wool or slag wool is worked to cause the iibrous dependable and very eflicient for use as a. ltering element in oil filters. The nodules used in making the filter are on the average about the size :o of' a small pea and whenV compacted are about one-half this size. Many of the nodules are o1' course larger or smaller than the average.

The completed iilter preferably has the compacted hardinodulated filtering substance and g5` binder placed around a spool mounted in a suitable container having the usualinlet and outlet openings. l

' On the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the filter with parts broken away and shown o `in section to show the filtering element in place. Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed sectional view through the filter. p

Figure 3 is a section on line 3``3 of Figure 1.` Figure 4 is a section through the mold to form 1,5 thefiltering unit before thefiltering substance is compressed, the mold being lled with modulated silica wool. l Figure 5 is a view similar toFigure 4, but showing the iiltering substanc `in the compressed o State.

Figure 6 is a sectional view showing the manner of removing the filtering unit from the mold and applying theend disk.

Referring to the drawings, the oil filter cons tainer 2 has the inlet opening 4 and the outlet jEach disk has the central annular flange 6B ,fand

opening 6. The container has a sump 8 at its bottom and a drain plug II) to clean the sump when desired. The filter has the cover I2 and al gasket I4 between the cover and the open top of the iilter.

The outlet opening 6 is formed in a studIS secured by means of its head I8 to the bottom 2|)Y of the iilter. The stud is hollow and projects up into the lterand has its end 22 screw-threaded asindicated at 24. "A spacer tube 28 ts over l the stud and extends into the iilter beyond` the end 22.

A hollow tube 28 extends thrcugh the middle of the lter and has its lower end 30 threaded as at 32 to screw onto the threaded end 22 of the stud I6. Suitable openings 33 in the tube 28allow the exit of iiltered oil. The end 30 of the tube 28 is receivedinside the spacer tube 26. The upper end 34 of the tube is interiorlyscrew-threaded and receives the threaded end 36 of a bolt 38 the head 40 of which extends outside the filte and has a handle 42 to secure the threaded en 38 into the tube 28. 'A gasket 44 between the .bolt head 4l and the cover I2 forms a liquid tight connection. The tightening of the bolt 38 holds the cover I2 on the container 2. f o j The filtering unit is designatedy as "a whole at 46 and comprises the spool element 48 and the filtering substance 58. The spool 48 comprisesthe central column or cylinder' 52 provided through- 30 out the greater portion of its length with a/plurality of perforations indicated at 54. For a f/ short distance at the two ends of the tube as/ indi- /f/ cated at 56, there are no perforations, the tube/` being left solid. On the inside oi?" the tube in :15`

spaced relation, there are secured the `ilangeyzl spacers 58 having the central openings 80 y,

allow the passage of the tube 28. At each endlof the column 52 the disks 62 and'64 are prpvlded. 4f). 68 which snugly and closely fit around the extremities of the column 52. The outer edges 89 of the disks are outwardly turned as shown to give added strength to the spool. Insideveach end of the cylinder or column 52, vcupA shaped members 'I0 are provided. `At thebottom center of the cup the annular iianges 'l2 are provided land are adapted closely to t over the tube 28.

have the shoulders 'IS to limit the inward movement thereof and also are provided with the v46 in place.

fiared edge parts 18 to form a handle to aid in installing or removing the filtering unit. The cylinder 52, fianges 68 and part 14 are secured together at a plurality of points by spot welding. A truncated conical coil spring 19 between the cover I2 and the cup 10 holds the filtering unit Surrounding the cylinder 52 there is preferably placed a single winding of a fabric 80 such as canton fiannel or other suitable fabric, to protect the perforated cylinder 52 and to prevent the entrance therein of |any particle which may free itself from the filtering material 50. The fabric 80 ,The nodulesare preferably not large'and have a ldiameter of substantially three-sixteenths (1%) .of aninchto one-half (1/2) of an inch. After the filtering unit is once installed, it is immaterial whether the fabric 84 is on the unit or not r for the reason that the compacted filtering 'substance 50 is self-sustaining and` needs no exterior support. It will not disintegrate by the passage of oil therethrough and in the ordinaryuse to which the filter is subjected, the filtering substance is self-sustaining and will "retain its origi- In Figures 4, and 6, thevmanner in which the filtering substance Vis compacted and the filtering unit formed is` shown. The particular mechaj; g nism andmethod of forming and compacting the filter is no part of the present invention..

v'I'h'e matrix is indicated at |00 and has the removable bottom |02 andrests on the removable base |04. The removable bottom has a recess |06 therein to receive lthe fiared part -of the cupshaped end element of the filtering unit. The

' bottom |02 also has the annular edge recess |08 to receive the outturned flange 69 ofthe cup 10. In the mold there is assembled the cup 10, one of theendk disks 62 or 64 and the cylinder or column, 572. These three parts are welded together as previously described and rest in the mold being positioned by the recesses |i06 and |08. In the Vtop of the mold there is now inserted the core ||0 which has a reduced end ||2 which fits into the free end of the column 52. A definite Iweight of yfiltering material '50 is now placed in the mold and around the column 52 and the core H0. This filtering substancev consists of the nodulated mineral wool which is made by working ordinary mineral wool or blast furnace slag until it is in the form of balls or nodules. There is then added a denitequantity of a cold water pastesuch as potato or Wheat starch in a solution and the two -thoroughly mixed.v Afterv the required definite quantity has been placed in the mold, the plunger or compacting member ||6 is placed in the top of the matrix |00. The plunger |6 is hollow as indicated at ||8 to Yenable it to Dass over the core I0 and the column 52. Either one of vtwo processes or methods is now followed. The bottom of the mold or matrixmay be agitated or jarred so that the inertia of the plunger ||6 will cause it to descend to compact the filtering material 50. Optionally the plunger ||6 may be suitably struck or impacted, or forced into the mold to` cause it to compact thefiltering material.

The plunger is provided with a shoulder |20 to I limit its downward movement. When the plunger has descended -to the position shown in Figure 5, the filtering material 501s `compacted to about one-half its original size or in a ratio of about two to one. The plunger |I6 and the core ||0 are now withdrawn and the mold of the matrix |00 inverted as shown in Figure 6 and placed over a post |22 having an enlarged head |24 provided with the recesses |26 at its middle gether and to retain the material on the cylinder 52 and between the end disks. By further pressing the mold |00 downward, the removable bottom |02 will be pushed out of the mold and'finally the entire filtering unit 46 will be freed from the mold.

. The latest applied end disk is not now spotl welded in place, but the unit is first dried (such as by passing it vthrough an oven) in vorder to eliminate the excess moisture and to cause the compacted material to assume a hard and porous' state.' After the filtering unit leaves the oven,

the end disk and cup are spot-welded in place.

In making the nodules a neutral mineral is used, that is, it is neither basic nor acid. Experiments which have been made with mineral wools have'shown that the best results are obtained with a neutral mineral wool than with one which is either basic or acid. The reason seems to be that lsince the high degree of ltering eiliciency withl mineral wool is dependent on the ionization of the colloidal particles in the oil, the neutral fibers can more readily assume the opposite ionization in order to attract and trap the particles. It is therefore believed that oil rendered impure by foreign matter may be easier filtered by using a neutral mineral wool.

I claim.:

1. In a filtering unit for use in an oil circulating system comprising a container, oil inlet and oil outlet openings, a perforated column mounted Vin said container,-a` fabric closely surrounding said column, and a dried hard molded vmass of filtering material comprising nodules 'of mineral wool mixed with a binder, said filtering material surrounding said column. y

2. A filter for use in an oil ltering system comprising a container having oil inlet and outlet openings, a perforated column mounted in said Y container, and a mass of filtering material comprising nodules of mineral wool mixed with a lbinder insoluble in oil and capable of maintaining the fibers of the nodules in associated relation.

3. A filtering unit for use in an oil filter having an inlet and an outlet, said unit comprising a .perforated tubular column surrounded by a mass of nodules of mineralwool mixed with a binder insoluble in oil and capable of maintaining the fibers of the nodules in associated relation.

4. In the art of filtering the oil ofthe lubricating system of an internal combustion engine of an automobile having an oilfilter lin said sysand a second recess |28 at its edge to receive the tem and said filter having an oil inlet and an oil outlet, a filtering material comprising a shaped and compacted but oil pervious nodulated mineral wool confined and retained in said filter so as to be surrounded by the oil to be filtered, a binder mixed with said nodulated mineral wool to bind the nodules together and to enable the filtering material to retain its shape, and means to mount the filtering material in the filter.

5. In the art of filtering the oil of the lubricating system of an internal combustion engine or an automobile having an oil filter in said system and said filter having an oil inlet and an oil outlet, a filtering material comprising a shaped and compacted but oil pervious nodulated mineral l i wool confined and retained in said filter so as to lated mineral wool confined and retained in said filter so as to be surrounded by the oil to be filtered, a binder mixed with said nodulated mineral wool to bind the nodules together and to enable the wool to retain its shape, said nodulated min- A eral wool consisting of fine nodules only, land means to mount the filtering material in the filter.

7. In the art of filtering the oil o1' the lubricating system of an internal combustion engine having an oil filterfin said system andsaid filter having an oil inlet and an oil outlet, an oil filtering material confined and retained in said filter so as to be surrounded by the oil therein, said material comprising a hard porous shaped mass of compacted but oil pervious nodules oi mineral wool, a binder mixed with said nodules of mineral wool to hold the nodules together and maintain the shap'e of the mass, the nodules being substantially three-sixteenths of an inch to one-half an inch in diameter, and means to mount the filtering material in the filter.

8. In the art of filtering the oil of the lubricating system of an internal combustion engine having an oil filter in said system and said filter having an oil inlet and an oil outlet, an oil filtering material confined and retained in said filter so as to be surrounded by the oil therein, said material comprising a hard porous shaped mass of compacted but oil pervious nodules of mineral wool, a cold water paste binder mixed with said nodules of mineral wool to hold the nodules together and maintain the shape of the mass, the nodules being substantially three-sixteenths of an inch to one-half an inch in diameter, and means to mount the filtering material ln the filter.

9. In a filtering unit for use in an oil circulating system comprising a container, oil inlet and oil outlet openings, a perforated column mounted in said container, a fabric closely surrounding said column, a dried hard molded compacted but oil pervious mass of filtering material comprising i `nodules of mineral wool, a binder mixed with said nodules of mineral wool tohold the nodules together and maintain the shape of the mass, said filtering material surrounding said column and fabric and said nodules of mineral wool being substantially three-sixteenths of an inch to onehalf an inch in diameter.

= `HERIEJ'IRT G. KAMRATH. 

